A special Christmas visitor...

Several times in the past few weeks, I thought I heard that distinct, shrill chirp of a hummingbird coming from our hedge of evergreen photinia shrubs. Because it's December, I thought it surely was too late for any hummers to be around. But their chirp is so distinct, what else could it be??? Well,... just in case, we put out a feeder.

Sure enough, we got a visitor. On Christmas day, a little male Anna's hummingbird came to sip the energy rich nectar that is so hard to find this time of year. He was so pretty!

Yesterday, I talked with a friend of mine who works at the Tualitin Wildlife Refuge, and apparently, the Anna's hummer does sometimes stay year around in this area. She said it's a good idea to keep the feeders filled because natural sources of nectar are very hard to find.

(Leave it to ANNA'S hummers to be the rebels!)

What a great little Christmas surprise he was! I would have loved to invite him in for a cup of nice warm cocoa, but I guess they don't like chocolate.

“Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.” ~ Ruth E. Renkel

Jodi sent out an email a while ago, in which she mentioned that they needed to do a will, and that in the short term, if something bad happened, either Jacki or Jake were to move into their house and take care of Adam.

The first thing I need to say here is: Yes, everyone should have a will.

The second thing is: If Jacki is the one to move in, she’s gonna want to get rid of all the stuff you have that was owned by - let’s see, … how did Jacki word it? …dead people! That was it! She was creeped out by Jodi’s antiques because they were owned by dead people. So if she chucks all Jodi’s old “dead people” stuff,… I dibs!!!!

Now, about my own will, as I said above, everyone should have one. And before I go to Africa, or out on the ocean, I will make sure I have one. After all, I don’t want Lisa and Andrea fighting over:
my 17 pair of heavily used shoes, (see photo in blog below)
my “middle-aged Mom” wardrobe of clothes,
my mouse-infested 1990 Pathfinder with 180,000 miles on it,
my five lanky houseplants,
the white plastic shelf that holds those five lanky plants,
my collection of 1980’s cassette tapes,
Dad’s old grandmother clock,
my Kathrine Albertson drum table,
and um, … my Gracie bird.

These items will need to be doled out fairly and evenly. Man, that’s gonna be tough, but I’ve got to do it. I guess that’s what attorneys are for, huh?

"Necessity is the mother of invention." ~ I don't know who said this, do you???

My mother sent me this funny pictue of these rather 'creative' slippers. I'm sure she, and everyone else who sees it, thinks it's so funny because it's so rediculous...

Yeah, well about those slippers....

I actually did something very similar just yesterday! The timing here is perfect. You see, I have a hole in the bottom of my danskos, (my favorite shoes for work), and it's been raining here like crazy and my shoes suck in the water to the ball of my foot. I needed something in my shoes to keep my feet dry. So I put panty liners inside my shoes! Kinda like Dr. Scholls insoles, only these were "Always" brand!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

I've always wanted a "themed" Christmas tree, and I finally got one! It's all lime green with white pointsettias. Even those big long ornaments are lime green, but because they're shiny, they look white in the photo. It's all really pretty, but it's hard to tell here, the photo doesn't do it justice. Oh, and the tree skirt is the one Jodi made for me!

Happy Holidays!

Winter Roadtrip – This is gonna be a long one…

Ahh,… what a wonderful time for a mother/daughter roadtrip through lovely winter snowscapes of the Northwest.

Fastforward to reality…
Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!

With a whole lot of help from my sweet ex-honey, Ken, (ok, he did it FOR us), we hooked up Lisa’s little Dodge Neon on a dolly behind a U-haul, to make Lisa’s big move from Meridian, ID to Portland, OR. We left Ken’s house about 9:30 am.

Knowing that there was going to be snow up in the Blue Mountains, (between La Grande and Pendleton), I took all the precautions I could possibly think of in preparation for winter storm driving. We had on warm winter clothes, we had heavy coats, hats and gloves. We had blankets, bottled water and high protein snacks. I made arrangements to call Mom before we started up into the Blues, and again on the other side, so that if the 2nd call didn’t come, she could call out the Cavalry, or the National Guard, or Ken, and have them come find us on the mountain! I even bought chains for a vehicle I don’t even own, knowing they’d never fit anything I DO own. I felt confident that I had taken all possible precautions for a safe and successful winter trip.

On our way out of town, we had to stop by the storage unit to get a few more of Lisa’s things. When we opened the back of the truck to add more boxes, we found Lisa’s car and house keys lying on the bumper. They had made the trip from Ken’s house to the storage unit teetering on the edge of the U-haul’s back bumper.

Lisa drove the first leg of the trip. Things were fine until, just before La Grande, we started hitting a few slick spots on the freeway. Lisa is not big on winter driving, in fact, you might say it REALLY rattles her. After seeing 2 cars that had gone off the freeway into the briar pit, (one upside down), Lisa quickly resigned as driver. Poor boo-boo. I didn’t realize how much of a city girl she really is! I learned that Lisa has never even been in the mountains in snow before!

I took the wheel at La Grande and after refueling we headed onward and upward, into the Blue Mountains. Lisa sat forward in her seat, one hand on her seat belt, the other on the dashboard. I was fully expecting a lot of snow and nasty road conditions, but I didn’t want to scare Lisa more that she already was, so I tried to sit back and look as relaxed as I could while still remaining very alert. The nasty roads never really materialized. It was snowing, and the wind blowing snow around made visibility low in a few places, but the road remained basically just wet.

We passed the sign announcing the summit elevation and, (after explaining that ‘summit’ meant ‘the top’), I got a big sigh of relief from Lisa, but she still hung on like we were on a roller coaster. (There are permanent fingernail marks in that U-haul’s dashboard, and I don’t think that seat belt will ever un-crinkle either.)

Unfortunately, just before we headed DOWN the other side, the snow started to stick to the road. I KNEW that because we were about to head down it wasn’t going to be on the road much longer, but I saw ALL the truckers pulling over and putting on chains. There was an electronic highway sign saying all big trucks and vehicles towing needed to put on chains. DAMN! Passenger cars were still going by without chains.... Hmmm, where did a little U-haul pulling a Neon fit in? Well, far be it from me to second guess the professionals, with Lisa’s eyes still big as saucers, we pulled over with the truckers to put on the chains. (sigh…) But it wasn’t that bad, you’d have been proud of us. I crawled around under that little truck like I knew what I was doing, and Lisa was a good little assistant. The wind was just howling, and every car that went buy sent chunks of ice, snow and dirt into my face, but we got those chains on!

We continued on our way, and of course, within a mile, the snow was gone off the road, and we were on pavement again. The problem now was that driving on pavement will break those little chains almost immediately,(they aren’t as macho as big truck chains), and then you’ve got a chain beating the hell out of the underside of your vehicle. So until I could find a safe place to pull over to take them off, I had to continue down the hill, driving over in the briar pit where there was some snow. That didn’t sit well with Lisa, and the fingernail marks deepened in the dashboard.

At the first wide and straight spot in the road, I pulled over to remove the chains. It appeared to be fairly clear of blowing snow, so I figured we were fairly sheltered from the wind. We dawned our coats, hats and gloves and opened our doors to get out. WHAM!!! The wind hit my door and ripped it out of my hands. I thought it was going to flip around and go right through the front fender!!! I had to use both hands and all my weight to get it shut. Lisa had a similar experience, but it wasn’t quite as bad on her side of the truck. We literally had to hang on to the truck to stay on our feet. I have never been in winds that strong before!

The chains had been on just long enough to build a real good layer of ice, snow and mud and rocks. Getting them off was not as easy as getting them on. (But I remember that being the case when I’d put chains on my PT cruiser.) With the wind blowing so hard, my hat kept blowing down over my face, and my hood was pounding the side of my head. Lisa and I both had to crawl around in the crud to get the job done. I was impressed with my little daughter, when push came to shove, she tucked away that ‘city girl’ and got right down in there! She was a real trooper! Again, every car and truck that went by sent more crud all over us. But finally, muddy and very wind blow, we crawled back to the cab. I had to use both hands, with my foot against the inside of the door jam, to get my door shut! Whew!!! Lisa and I turned and looked at each other and just started laughing!!! We’d done it! We kicked butt on the Blues!

From what I understand, conditions up there worsened, and they closed the Blues a few hours later.

We stopped briefly in Pendleton to clean up and grab something hot to drink. We had mud on our faces and even though we had gloves on, our hands were sopping wet and gritty. Lisa took over driving again.

In The Dalles, we stopped at McDonalds for something to eat. Those golden arches never looked so good. While we were eating, Lisa turned her head, and I saw a big glob of mud inside her ear! We started laughing again.
When we pulled in to McD’s, there was no place to do a “pull through” parking job, so I knew I was going to have to back up the truck and dolly to get out. We just parked long ways, taking up several parking spots near the edge of the parking lot. I’m not good at backing a trailer, but I can do it if I have to. Usually. If the trailer cooperates. But it didn’t. When I tried to back out, the frickin’ wheels on the dolly would not turn backwards! They just skidded and made a horrible noise! We ended up having to go through McDonalds drive through in the wrong direction. Lisa went in and told them what we had to do, and she and a customer stood at the entrance to make sure nobody came in until I was through. Thank god the U-haul was short enough to fit under their canopies.

Lisa took over driving again, and other than really heavy rain, the trip was fairly uneventful, until we stopped at Troutdale, just east of Portland, for gas. Not being used to a big vehicle and trailer, pulling into the gas station, Lisa clipped the concrete post by the pump. No big deal, except it required backing up, which that dolly didn’t like to do. Fortuately, three bored guys at the gas station took on the task of figuring out the problem. The fender on the dolly was touching the wheel when we tried to back up and stopped it from turning. So they pried the fender out for us. We got our gas and headed for home.

We got to the house here about 7:30 pm. Neither of us has ever been so happy to see home! After clogging the drains in the showers, we both hit the sack early.

What a difference a day makes....

AAAaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My youngest little darling is making me so frustrated!!!

I've had it!
That's it!
Put a fork in me! I'm done!
I'm about over the edge!
I'm gonna do something extreme!!!
I'm gonna,... I'm gonna run with scissors!!!

No, I'm gonna FIND a way to resign as "Mom". Today I'm mailing my resignation letter to, um,... hmmm,... who would I mail that to???
OK, resigning isn't gonna work.

I know! I'll move away! To a foreign country! AFRICA !!!! I'll live with the Maasi!

Nasty, NASTY attitude today! Grrrr... :o(

WARNING- Approach with caution - Subject make act as if experiencing PMS and a lack of coffee and chocolate simultaneously!

Grace under fire - aka - MOM

I knew a long time ago that my Mother was an amazing person. And the longer I am a Mom, the more I admire my own Mom.

Being a Mom is a difficult job. And it doesn’t get easier as kids get older, it gets more difficult. The problems are bigger, more expensive, more earth shattering, more life changing and you have less control. The tears, the heartache and the helplessness can be overwhelming at times.
I don’t think there is a more difficult job on the planet. Well, maybe being a Brain Surgeon. Because like a Mom, they too have a lot of responsibility to do their job right, there is a lot of stress, and one mistake - one “oops” - and someone could be toast. That’s a lot of weight on someone’s shoulders. But, unlike the Mother, the Brain Surgeon can retire after a certain amount of time, with a nice cushy pension. There is no retirement from being a mom, it’s a ‘rest of your life’ kind of job, kind of like the Supreme Court, I think.

And there certainly is no cushy pension, hell, there’s not even a cash income for Moms. That’s why there are no “professional” Moms. How could there be? There simply is no way you could pay ANYONE what a Mom is worth. All the counseling, doctoring, chauffeuring, teaching, spending, preaching, mentoring, seamstressing, chef-ing, cleaning, policing and protecting, nurturing and loving…. and Moms work 24-7 without end. Hell, Bill Gates couldn’t afford her! So why would anyone in their right mind even WANT this job????

Simple,… because it pays so good. No, there’s no cash income, Mom’s are paid in a different kind of currency. Something better than money, something absolutely priceless. Mom’s get bouquets of dandelions, silly knock-knock jokes, wild stories – (some actually true as they get older! Aaaaahhh!). Moms get a never ending supply of hugs and kisses, smiles and laughter, songs and dances, and endless opportunities to burst with pride. Mom’s get a best friend, and a lifetime of love. (And sometimes even grandkids!) When you think about it, who WOULDN’T want this job! :o)

Yeah, it’s a tough job. But the pride and fun is worth every tear and heartache.

Mom, the longer I am a Mother, the more I admire you. You are truly an example of “grace under fire”. You are a pillar, a rock, an angel, a friend, and a stellar example of how to be a good Mother. Thank you. I love you. Lala


P.S. I may be the last one to figure this out, but I found out that by double clicking on a picture in our blogs, that you can see the picture full sized. (I HAD to see Kate’s snowflakes better!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

"As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world." ~Adabella Radici

I thought today I'd mention a few things that I am thankful for, because I have been so blessed with such wonderful gifts in my life.

These are in no particular order but may be grouped more by thought process.

I am so incredibly lucky to have my 2 beautiful, healthy daughters. Nothing brings more sunshine into my life than hearing their voices and seeing their sweet faces. They are both tough girls, far stronger than they realize. I admire them and am VERY proud of them for that.

I am so glad that I have sisters and a Mom who are funny, entertaining and enjoy getting together, even if it's only in our blogs! I guess I'm also quite lucky to be able to find such pleasure in something as simple as our blogs.

I'm thankful that most of my greatest memories involve FAMILY.

I'm glad our whole family is close and that we are a 'functional' family without the 'dis'!

I'm glad I have a car that gets 40 miles to the gallon now that gas is over $3.

I'm lucky to have a job that I enjoy, and to work with a whole bunch of fun, dedicated people.

I so glad that Dad and Mom taught me to enjoy nature. I can find peace and pleasure in little things like the frogs in my houseplants at work, the huge V's of geese flying over head and that foolish little hummingbird that I STILL see flitting around my front yard. I would miss so much of life without that appreciation. (I think I'm gonna set a trap and catch that hummer so I can fed-ex him south.)

I am very grateful for my health. I took it for granted for so many years. But as one gets older, you certainly appreciate it more and realize how easily it can slip away if not cared for properly.

I'm awfully glad I've lost 11 pounds, because I know I'll be putting ON a few today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another example of... "Be careful what you ask for..."

Guess what? This face is gonna be famous! I'm gonna make Lisa buy me a Mercedes Benz!!!! Yeehaw!!!

Lisa got that job with Sports Unlimited (I think that's the name.) It's a Portland modeling agency that has the contract for Nike, Addidas, Colombia Sports Wear, Fred Meyer, the Oregon Lottery, etc. It's a big agency.

She came back over here this morning for a 2nd interview with them, and they signed her. It's actually going to be sporadic work, especially right at first until they get to know her and she gets to know them. So she'll either get another job or go to school, depending on how much work she gets from them.

But hey, she's got a contract, and an agent! How cool is that! And I'm sure it will help her resume when it comes to getting into broadcasting which is what she wants to do.

But now she has to move BACK over here, and figure out what to do next. .... sigh....

But my LISA is coming back to Portland!!!!

Another Bright Idea!

I wish I were a genius so that I could implement some of my wonderful ideas. I realize I must be pretty close to even come up with them, but I’m just not sure of the actual “nutz and boltz” of my ideas. Ya know what I mean? I know my helium filled key chain would be a hit, and Gob knows my snot car would solve a lot of problems.

But what I want to do now is power the country with body fat. That’s right, put “tubby” on a tread mill, and take the dams out of the rivers.

You see, I have recently discovered that the human body – MY body – is the most fuel efficient machine ever made. It’s really amazing – annoying as hell, - but amazing how it manufactures and stores fuel for later use.

Since I’ve been trying to loose weight, I’ve done a lot of research and I found out that in order to get rid of the roll around my mid section, I have to burn more fat that I take in.

Sounds easy enough, except that even when I cut out fat from my diet, my damn body turns everything ELSE I eat into fat! The problem is, all these calories and carbohydrates - if I don’t burn them off, (in ADDITION to the fat I’m supposed to burn off!) all of them get turned into fat and saved for LATER! Now, how fair is that??? I don’t NEED them later! I don’t WANT them later! But tough shit, they get SAVED for LATER! So basically, I have to work hard enough to burn off fat, calories AND carbohydrates, or I get to keep the love handles! Who came up with that brilliant idea??? Oh, I suppose I could cut out fat, calories and carbs and exist on, um… tap water?

So,… for the first time in my life, I understand why there are so many extremely over weight, obese, people in the world. If I could start some of those REALLY BIG ONES on treadmills hooked up to power plants, I could power Portland for weeks between “feedings”, and I’d be helping all those nice people loose weight, AND I’d be making the world a better (looking) place!

Pretty brilliant, huh? Aren’t I amazing?

Yee Haw!!!

Road Triiiiiip!!!!!

We may not make it to Vermont, but I'm sure we can at least get as far as Mt. Home.

I told Bob that Jodi, Kate and I were going to get our noses pierced next time we're together. He laughed, and thought I was just teasing.

"He don't know us too well, do he???" ~ Bugs Bunny

I'll bet being a nudist takes all the fun out of Halloween." ~Author Unknown

Happy Halloween!
I've never been that big on Halloween, it's ok as a kid, but after my 20's I pretty much lost interest. But apparently I'm a minority there, because Halloween is the 2nd biggest retail holiday after Christmas. Simply amazing to me.

At work, everyone had to dress up. I have some great costumes that I've made over the years, but they were all in boxes in Boise, so I had to make due with what I could find here. After shuffling through my closet, and dragging Lisa out to the local "GoodWill" store, I found the makings of a pirate. I honestly think it was the first time Lisa had ever been in a second hand store - and I don't think she was impressed. She claims she got "gungfungeria" on her had from touching something there.

I didn't get to take Gracie to work with me, but I had to at least pose with my parrot. I don't think she liked the feather thing hanging off my scarf. She was eyeing it suspiciously.


This 2nd picture looks like I have gas, but really, it's just an attempt at that evil pirate "Aaarrgh!"

We had such a good time answering the door for all the little "Trick or Treaters". We had a million of them! And here's what all the fuss was about. We found these gummy eyeballs to give out, and word spead like wild fire! We heard kids down the street saying to other kids, " Those guys over there are giving out EYEBALLS!!" It was fun giving out something gross, and the kids loved getting them. Go figure.


Katie and her friend Adam got into the spirit and carved there GREAT pumpkins for our porch. Katie carved the owl, and Adam did the rats. They turned out so cool!



Well, hope you had a great Halloween!

Jambo!
Jina langu Linda.
That means "hello". And "my name is Linda".

I'm practicing my Swahili! Hope you don't mind.
I figure if I'm going over, even for two weeks, I should know a few of the more important words.

Tafadhali is "please", and Ahsante sana is "thank you".

Vizuri is "good", vibaya is "bad".

Sifahamu kiswahili is "I don't understand swahili". (I better have that one down good!)

Unasema Kiingereza is "Do you speak english?"

Swahili is not a pretty language. It uses a lot of consenants that don't seem to go together, like Ngorongoro, which is the name of one of the big wildlife regions north Morogoro where I will be. In Swahili you pronounce each letter, none are silent. It just doesn't roll off the tongue easily.

Oh, and since I'm going to an area that is full of lions, hyenas and other nasty predators, another word I probably should know,... Kimbia! - "Run!"

“What you see is what you get.”

Ok, Jodi, I know you’re out there,… I can hear you breathing.

Why don’t you update your blog! Oh, I guess it’s because you don’t have anything to blog about. I mean, it’s not like you have a new grandson or anything, - or that the next family member you were supposed to write about just happens to be his proud and patient Momma.

Ok, I’ll do this next installment for ya! Only I’ll do you!

So, my sister Jodi. Hmmm, how would you describe her? She’s a very unique individual, to be sure. Let’s see,…

“Jodi is a hillbilly version of Mother Theresa with an attitude, … in lime green socks and a sweatshirt.” Yep, that pretty much sums it up. But let me expound a bit.

Jodi is about 5’5” and weights 102 lbs. Oh, hell, now that middle age has hit, she might be tipping the scales at about 108. But tiny as she is, Jodi is the toughest person I know. Mentally, physically and emotionally, I’d stack her up against Mr. T or Hulk Hogan any day, - and watch her reduce them to a sniveling mass of flem. (Kate never did stand a chance, and she knew it. That’s why she was a no-show on the beach.)

Jodi’s one downfall is that she has the biggest heart in the world. She can’t handle seeing anyone or anything feeling down and out. I mean, this woman has beat Cancer – twice! But she can’t handle seeing an old house torn down, or a child crying. She wants to fix everything – for everybody – all the time. If she could, she would spend every waking moment of every day working just to make other people happy, but unfortunately, she has to eat and sleep sometime. Jodi is happiest when she’s “fixing” things.

And then, Oh poor Jodi, her sense of “style” has kind of been a family joke for several years now. I remember several years ago when she was quite the fashion plate! But somewhere along the line, she got this dumb idea that it was better to be comfortable than to look cute. Can you believe that!!! Well, anyway,… she’s always wearing sweatshirts, no matter what the weather. Well, actually if it’s over 100 degress, she does wear a t-shirt. Some of her sweatshirts are pretty cool, like her BSU ones! But the real kicker that made Jodi’s wardrobe famous is lime green socks. She got some in the early 80’s and wore them every single day for over 20 years! Then, last spring, I realized she was without them! My God, they finally wore out! I knew this had to have been taking an emotional tole on her, so I began watching for new ones in stores. The problem is – no one in their right mind wears lime green socks, so they weren’t exactly easy to find. But I did find some in July and took them to her. I take comfort in knowing that Jodi was probably able to maintain emotional stability because I found her new lime green socks.

Jodi has her own unique style of humor. Basically, she excels at making fun of other people. She will tell a story, or make a comment, with such dry wit that you just about bust a gut laughing. The visuals Jodi puts in my head crack me up so much, I almost pee my pants.

And finally, Jodi really isn’t a hill-billy. Steve is a hill-billy. Ival is a hill-billy ‘wannabe’. But Jodi is just a very genuine person, - a “what you see is what you get” kind of person, and that sometimes gets confused with hill-billyism. But she’s not a hillbilly. She is fun, and funny, beautiful and bright, and quite entertaining. But she’s not a hill-billy, she’s just my big sister, Jodi.

I love you Sis!!!

I tried to see the Roloffs...

The 'Little People in a Big World' live with a LOT of mud and BIG raindrops!


It was POURING rain when Lisa and I first got there. The wind was howling and blew over a sign beside their farm's sign.

But we fearlessly braved the rain and made a run for the gift shop/farm tour depot. We found out that the family was all in school. And that the farm tours had just been canceled due to rain and mud. Go figure.

Well, I thought I'd at least get a few photos, so Jodi could see some of the farm. So I asked where the pumpkin launcher was, and they'd point to this thing. Then they said, "That's the trebachan." (sp?) So I asked again, "But where's the pumpkin launcher?" Again, they point to this thing. "But you said that was a trebachan!" Finally, the guy says, "Trebachan is french for pumpkin launcher!" Uh, yeah, I knew that...

So I didn't get to meet the Roloffs, but I did get a few pics of the farm. Next year, Jodi, you have to come over here and go with me. Okay?

Sorry, I don't feel like blogging right now. Nothing witty or cute this week.
Lisa is back in Boise. It's amazing how much sunshine she took with her. She is so animated and fun. Damn, she brighted up this place. Don't get me wrong, I'm REALLY glad that she and Rod are working on plans for the two of them together, instead of working seperately on their own issues. They belong together and I love him to pieces. I think it was the right thing for her to do. Actually, I feel blessed to have had her here at all.

"The difference between right and almost right is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug." ~ Mark Twain

It's not a "booger" picture, it's snot! BIG difference! See, snot is runnier. The big difference is in their viscosity. Snot is less viscous, somewhere between water and pudding. Whereas boogers are basically solid. They have a higher viscosity, with a consistency between pudding and solid rock. And if I'm going to go into business at this, it's important to know the difference. I'll keep you all posted as I learn more.
He, he, he!
P.S. Anonymous wasn't Bob. He'd be MUCH more blunt than that. I strongly suspect it's his daughter, Julie! Am I right????

"It isn't easy being green." ~ Kermit The Frog

I have some great help at work, keeping the bugs off my house plants. There are several tiny Pacific Tree Frogs that live in the house plant atrium that are my assistants. They do a good job eating bugs and enjoying the moist environment of the house plant area, and early in the morning, before we open, they sing for me.

One day, I had to take a bunch of gardenias out onto the loading dock to spray them for “scale”. (The one bug frogs can’t help me with.) As I plastered this plant with insecticide, one of the tiny green frogs bailed off the plant onto the floor. To my horror, I realized I’d just coated him with insecticide! I dropped my bottle of Mr. Yuk, and began pursuing the tiny frog. I knew I had to rinse him off or he’d die. But he was soooo fast! I chased him halfway across our huge loading dock, and past the hose with spray nozzle. Ah, ha! I didn’t have to catch him, just hit him with plenty of water. So then I was chasing him, all over the other half of the dock, sending water everywhere. The pursuit finally ended when I corned him against the far wall, a box, and my foot. I gave him (and my foot) a good gentle shower, and I am convinced he lived to see another day.

However, when I turned around, the loading dock foreman, Greg, was standing there with his hands on his hips.

“F-frog,… there’s a frog here. I accidentally sprayed him with insecticide. I HAD to rinse him off….” I said, standing there in a puddle, one leg soaked nearly to my knee.

Greg just shook his head and walked off. I figured I’d get called into the Manager’s office later and get a talking to about soaking the loading dock. But I never heard anything. I guess Greg likes frogs, too.

I’m going to be rich!

I’m going to be rich! I’m going to invent snot-fuel!

I swear, I’ve had this cold for two weeks now! And although I feel ok, I still have to blow my nose every 5 minutes!

I am continually AMAZED at how much SNOT one head can produce! Then it came to me,… if I could invent an engine that ran on snot, I could solve the worlds energy crisis!!! Snot-fuel! My nose alone could power the City of Cornelius.

And just think of those 3rd world countries. In every photograph you ever see, ALL the little kids ALWAYS have snotty noses. Those countries are sitting on a gold mine of snot. Think of it, no more famine, filth, and despair. This could seriously change the world!

People wouldn’t bitch about having a cold anymore, they’d think of it as a windfall!

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to walk out to your car, open the fuel cap, plug one nostril, and hock a big ol’ glob o’ snot into your tank, … and away you go!

I honestly can’t think of a downside here!

Ya know, maybe I shouldn’t have this on a public blog. If someone steals my idea, I’m gonna be mad!

This is how memories are made.

Family Weekend. It was fun and wonderful. We had all our families together and played in the sea and went crabbing, and BBQ'd. We should do this every year.

But the true highlight was having all of our kids together.
Are they cute or what???

Life doesn’t get any better than this.


"The brightest spot in the universe, is wherever my children are.” ~ Linda Kay Harrison

I am - "The House Plant Goddess"

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~ Confucious

Wooohoo! Monday I get to start my new job! I'm the house plant specialist at Al's Garden Center in Sherwood.

There are 3 Al's Garden Centers around the area. The one is Shewood is the largest Garden Center in the entire Northwest. It's kind of a cross between Sterling Nursery, Greenhurst Nursery, and Bloomingdales. It's huge and georgous.

Their house plant section is about the size of the main floor of a two story house. Lots of the usual plants, pothos, philodendron, african violets, etc. But the really great part is the an amazing selection of unusual exotics. Orchids, lithops, pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants, etc. COOL stuff! I'm hoping they have a really lousy employee discount, otherwise I won't bring home any money, just a whole bunch of cool plants and cute home decor. Working at this place is kind of like letting Ival work at a pet store, or letting Kate work at a shoe store. Some things just aren't a good idea. But too late now,... I start on Monday! Hooowaaa ha, ha, ha!

THE UPCOMING WEEKEND OF FAMILY FUN!

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich." ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, M*A*S*H

"It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us family." ~Johann Schiller


I am sooo excited for this weekend!

Having all our families all together is gonna be so much fun! Even Steve is coming!

And then of course there will be pictures of everyone crabbing, cooking, eating and drinking, beach combing, interacting, etc. I’m gonna be so busy taking photos! I hope everyone takes lots of photos. We’ll have a place where all the photos can be uploaded later, so that everyone can get on their computer and see everyone else’s photos, and pick and choose which pictures they want.
I think some great memories will be made that weekend. :o)

Don’t forget to bring warm clothes and rain gear. It IS the Oregon Coast.
Wooohoo! I get to see you all soon!!!!!

Hello??? Can I say something here???

Ok, Puss, I accept your challenge, however, could we make it about, oh,... say, 10:00-ish? I mean sunrise is so early! I like to sleep in, then I have to shower, do my nails, do my hair... well, anyway, I will be there. I shall go by, "Donkey", the anoying sidekick. I'll be the one who shows up with the big ugly ogre! Ha, ha, ha,...


Actually, Bob says he is placing bets in Vegas. Mom? Are you in? Apparently the pot is getting sizable. But he won't tell me who is money is on!!!! I guess with 3 of us involved it could be a Win, Place and Show type of thing. Ya know, that way everybody wins 'something' and nobody feels left out.

But ya know, the visual of Jodi and Kate out there on the beach brings to mind the picture of Ricky Ticky Tavi and the Cobra. I don't want to participate, I just wanna watch! Besides, I KNOW when I’m out-gunned. I wouldn’t stand a chance in that ring. I mean, I’m so meek and helpless and all.

Kate with cotton candy??? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Wait a minute, wait a minute… > trying to regain my composure < JODI, LEG WRESTLE???? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh my god…. I’m gonna pee my pants! I gotta go!!!

So much going on...

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." ~ I dunnano who said it

I haven't updated my blog lately because I've had so much going on. I'll try to summarize into a brief bit so that this doesn't turn out to be a novel.

Basically, I've shuttled daughters back and forth to Portland, so now Lisa is here and Andrea is gone.

Andrea is struggling with that awkward stage when one is no longer under a parents control, but one is not really an adult yet either. It's difficult to see her go through it, but it's something she's got to do. I keep reminding her of the above mentioned quote.

Lisa has made the leap, and is becoming a Portlander. It's been a difficult processes for her because leaving a town she is absolutely sick of and wants to get rid of, requires leaving a job she enjoys and the man she loves, (Sweet Rodrick!) I keep reminding her of the above mentioned quote.

I am currently, uh.... between jobs. Ok, unemployed. Ugh! See, I was offered a job (over the phone - red flag #1) doing landscape design at Loen Nursery. I love design work, and it paid $20 an hour, so I accepted it. I put in my 1 day notice at Blooming Nursery. (Loen said they needed me to start immediately, red flag #2.) I went out to Loen to speak to the manager, (the owner hired me,), and other than the manager and the owners son, there were NO OTHER EMPLOYEES there, (red flag #3.) Hello??? Linda??? Are you paying attention to your insticts here??? Then, I called the owner to tell him I needed time off, for my family reunion, and he went balistic, became a complete asshole! (Or as Jodi called him - the Nursery Natzi!) OK, at this point, I FINALLY decided to pay attention to my insticts, and told him I would not be taking the job afterall. But I absolutely HATE being unemployed. Heavy Sigh,... at this point, I have to remind myself of the above mentioned quote.

Being without a job is a dreadful feeling. I NEVER leave a job without having another one first, no matter how much I dislike the job. I almost went to Loen anyway, just until I found something else. However, my darling sister Kate threatened me with bodily injury if I went to work for psyco-man, and because she has the demeanor of a badger, I chose unemployment over a possible hospital stay. Did I make the right decision? How bad could Kate really mess me up? I mean, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." Right?

The Earth Laughs In Flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

And if that’s the case, this time next year, my yard is going to be hysterical!

When we moved in here in May, the front yard was knee deep in weeds. Loving plants the way I do, I was quick to take on making the front yard look pretty! My plan was to have all plants and a couple of walkways, with no grass at all, (not in the front yard anyway.)

So, - The good thing about working at Blooming Nursery, is that I get a killer discount on plants!
The bad thing about working at Blooming Nursery, is that I get a killer discount on plants!

Yes, it can work against me. With so many wonderful things that grow over here, and so many pretty plants to chose from, I now have 147 plants in our small front yard! Whew! That’s a lot of planting! Blooming Nursery only grows perennials and flowering shrubs, so the yard is all flowering plants. Next year it’s gonna be ‘chuck a block’ with flowers!

Everything is still tiny this year, but by next year, when things start growing together, and everything really gets blooming, this is going to be one ‘happenin’ yard.

My Lifelong Roommate

"She is not quite refined. She is not quite unrefined. She’s the type that keeps a parrot." ~ Mark Twain

My Gracie Bird came to work with me today. She needed a break from the boredom of being home alone with the Three Stooges.

I’m sure glad I’ve had her with me while Bob has been gone. She really is wonderful company, and has kept me from getting lonesome. Gracie is not like a pet at all. She’s more like a,… well, like a roommate or a friend. I wouldn’t say she’s like having another child, it’s a very different relationship than that. It’s not the loving, nurturing relationship one has with a child, or a dog, even. It’s more grown up than that, more conversational. She let’s me know what she wants and needs, and she lets me know when she’s bored and what’s something to do. And I let her know what I want and need, and when I’m bored and want something to do.

She’s versatile, portable, and not skiddish around strangers or new places. So if I want to go for a walk around the block or something, Gracie is more than happy to go with me. I have a little padded harness that goes across my shoulder and she just rides along and enjoys the view!

She’s curious, and truly interested in things. If I’m doing something new, she asks, "Whatcha doin’?" And she actually wants to come closer and see. So I usually tell her, and explain stuff. I know she can’t really understand what I’m telling her, but she loves just being included. She’s been sitting on the back of one of the dining room chairs the past several nights, watching while I piece together Cole’s patchwork baby quilt. It’s funny, sometimes when she’s doing something silly, I’ll say, "Whatcha doin’?", and she will mumble some jibberish as if she is explaining it to me.

Gracie and I understand each other, we entertain each other, and make each other laugh. Actually, it’s kind of like having Kate around! Only, she doesn’t poop as much. Kate, not Gracie. Did I explain that right? Well, you get the idea.

In Love With The Blue Angels

The US Navy's Blue Angels are in town, practicing for an airshow in Hillsboro on Saturday. There is very little that affects me the way The Blue Angels do.

It's been a while since I've seen them, but the effect is the same every time . My heart races, goosebumps fly up my arms and across the back of my neck, I get a strange lump in my throat, and my eyes even tear up a little bit. It's amazing how it effects me when they roar over head, at the speed of sound, in perfect formation, with just a few feet between their wingtips. I am amazed. I am so enthralled. What is it that gets to me so much? Is it patriotic pride? Appreciation for the danger and skill involved? Is it excitement? Awe? Or a combination of all those, and more.

They began arriving last night, I saw two just flying placidly overhead. But this morning there were 4 of them out in formation. They were flying all over town, everywhere! By noon, there were 6 here, and about 3:00 I saw all 8 of them together! They were buzzing over the nursery this morning, but as luck would have it, one of my accounts is right near the airport, so I found a reason to go call on them, and I sat there with the folks at that nursery and watched the Angels for about an hour.

You know, this is going to sound really weird, but it feels a lot like being in love,... they take my breath away.

My Two Best Friends....

I smile because you are my sister.

I LAUGH – because there’s nothing you can do about it!!!

Ha! Ha!

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Ha! Ha!

Ha! Ha! Ha!!!!

Body Worlds Exhibit

"Beauty is only skin deep. " ~ old proverb

Lisa, Andrea and I went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) yesterday. The current ‘traveling exhibit’ that is on display there is called "Body Worlds 3". It’s very bizarre, but fascinating.

It’s actual human bodies that have been preserved through a special ‘plasticine’ process. It’s not as gross as it sounds. It’s actually very artistically done. You’re not just looking at dead bodies laying on a slab. They are preserved in amazing poses so that you can really see what muscles are used.

But the most amazing display was the lungs. If I had not already quit smoking, that display would have done it for me! OH MY GOD!!!

If you want to see more about this wild exihibit, you can go to http://www.google.com/ and select "images" and type in Body Worlds or go to their website at

ahttp://www.bodyworlds.com/en/exhibitions/current_exhibitions.html .

OR - you can come visit me and you can go to OMSI and see the exhibit for yourself.

Missing my family...

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you."


It’s not as much fun having blog sites, when 2/3 of the entertainment is away in Canada.

You are what you eat. OK,... I'm a pop tart!

"I don't cry over spilt milk, but a fallen scoop of ice cream is enough to ruin my whole day. "
~ Erma Bombeck

"In Idaho we have a word for sushi: bait."
~ Chris Walton – KBOI AM

"If God didn’t mean for us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?"
~ bumper sticker

Several of my co-workers were discussing odd foods, and the topic quickly became a contest to see who had eaten the strangest thing. One lady said she had eaten chocolate covered grasshoppers. Another said she had eaten grasshopper legs when she was little, but they weren’t chocolate covered, she just pulled them right off a grasshopper in the yard.

Being a rather 'dicriminating' eater, I didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation. I didn’t think anyone would wince and be grossed out when I said, " Oh man, I tried broccoli once!" So I just listened and grimaced.

I don't understand the desire to eat disgusting things. Have you eaten something weird? What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Where did I go wrong???!!!

"No Problem is so big, or so great, that it cannot be run away from!"
Linus – Peanuts Comic Strip

I have lived by this credo for most of my life. For the most part, it has served me well. Learning from the birds I love to watch, I’ve learned that tucking one’s head under a wing is a great way to ward off the unpleasantries that life or nature dishes out to you.

I’ve tried hard to teach this technique to my daughters, but they both seem hell bent on charging into trouble to tackle it head-on. And even though they may not realize it, they are amazingly successful at it. I have two of the most amazing daughters in the world. They are absolute polar opposites of each other, each with her own very different set of ‘issues’ and ‘qualities’. Yet they both seem to have amazing resiliency and strength that I feel like I can only stand back and admire. I am such a lucky mom.


I love you, Lisa and Andrea!